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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Temecula Wine Tasting in Limo Bus Style

Temecula
is Southern California’s wine region.But Temecula doesn’t necessarily have a reputation for producing the
best wine.Since Temecula is an easy
hour drive north of San Diego, I am always looking for those special Temecula
wineries that defy the bad reputation and surprise with their excellent
wine.I found one of those surprises in
Danza del Sol Winery.

I previously joined a San Diego limo brewery tour with Aall In Limo & Party Bus, so I
was thrilled when Aall In Limo & Party Bus asked me to be their guest again, this time to test
out the newest addition to their fleet, the limo bus.We drove in style and comfort to Temecula in
the spacious and plush limo bus.Our day
of wine tasting appropriately started with a bottle of sparkling wine from one
of the Temecula wineries in the limo while we drove to our first stop, Danza
del Sol Winery.

The roomy interior of our Aall In Limo & Party Bus limo bus ride.

Danza
del Sol is the fifth oldest winery in Temecula.Previously Filsinger Vineyards and Winery founded in 1978, the winery
was later purchased in 2010 by the current owner, Robert Olson.The oldest vines on the property are
Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1972.This is
also where the first Gewürztraminer grapes were planted in Southern California.The winery’s other signature grapes are
Orange Muscat and Syrah. Danza del Sol
is a 35 acre estate vineyard, meaning all the wine is grown, crushed,
fermented, bottled, and aged on the premises.Because Danza del Sol is an estate vineyard and produces a relatively
small number of cases, their wine can only be obtained at the winery or through
the wine club.

Danza
del Sol Winery kindly hosted a tour of their winery in addition to our wine
tastings so we could learn more about the origins of the wine.We started our tour outside with a view of
the vines.The vines were not very
picturesque in February as bud break occurs in March when everything starts to
turn green again.It was a foggy
morning, which illustrated why Temecula is a good grape growing region.Laura Burnham, the tasting room manager,
explained it is actually this mist and fog that makes Temecula such a thriving
wine growing region.Temecula is only
about 20 miles inland from the ocean.The fog comes in from the west, hits the mountains in the east, and
cascades down into the valley.The heat
in the valley causes the grapes to create more sugars, which later turn into
alcohol, which is why Temecula wines are stronger than wines from other
regions.

We
entered the tank farm where fermentation occurs and wine is stored.Danza del Sol’s wines are fermented in
stainless steel, which helps enhance the aromatic profiles.Laura gave us a taste of their 2013 Tempranillo,
which had completed the fermentation process but had not yet been aged.Tasting a new wine prior to aging was a fun
new experience for me.The 2013
Tempranillo was bright purple with a very fruity, grapey taste and a prominent tannin
finish, yet it was surprisingly drinkable.

We then tasted the aged 2011 Tempranillo so we could taste the difference
the aging process makes.The 2011
Tempranillo was a darker garnet with a nice fruity aroma and a more mellow taste
with less tannin.Laura explained tannin
allows wine to age well and mellows with aging.

Tasting Danza del Sol's 2011 Tempranillo in the tank farm.

After
completing our tour of the winery we entered the tasting room to sample more of
the wines, starting with four of
Danza del Sol’s white wines.The 2011
Sauvignon Blanc is fresh, light, and crisp with a somewhat grassy
aroma.The 2011 Viognier has a strong green
apple aroma and a crisp flavor.The 2011
Roussanne is an award winner with a very buttery feel.The 2011 Sinfonia, another award winner, is a
blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Danza del Sol’s signature Orange Muscat with
a citrus taste and a sweet but fresh finish.

We
also sampled four of Danza del Sol’s red wines.The 2010 Grenache is a light-bodied red which tastes best slightly
chilled and actually has an unusual aroma of root beer, though we couldn’t put
our finger on what it was until reading the notes.The 2010 Mourvèdre is a great wine for Thanksgiving
with cranberry aromas and a spicy clove and nutmeg finish.The 2011 Barbera is a more rustic red with a
deep fruit flavor.The 2011 Trilogy is a
Meritage blend with a silky finish.

We
ended our tastings with Danza del Sol’s sweeter wines.The 2012 Tres Rosé is another award winning
blend of Cinsaut, Zinfandel, and Sangiovese.The Rosé is sweet with a pronounced strawberry flavor.The 2012 Gewürztraminer is an award winner
which is sweet but not too sweet.The 2012
Sabrosa, a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc made from the old estate vines, is a
sweet after-dinner wine, but is not syrupy.The Espumosa is Danza del Sol’s semi-sweet sparkling wine with a crisp
melon flavor.

I
am hard-pressed to visit a winery and not bring any bottles home with me, so I purchased some of our favorites, the Sinfonia, Mourvèdre, Barbera,
and Sabrosa.I even brought a bottle of
the Sinfonia to a gathering that evening, and it was a hit with all. Danza del Sol’s wine is both exceptional in
flavor and very affordable, with most bottles ranging from $20 to $30 without a
wine club discount.

If
you are planning a wine tasting trip to Temecula, be sure to include a visit to
Danza del Sol Winery.In addition
to wine tasting, you can join a guided tour of the winery.If planning a wine tasting trip with family
and friends, book Aall In Limo & Party Bus’ limo bus, which comfortably seats up to
20 passengers.The commute will fly by,
and of course there is the added benefit of having a designated driver while
you sip champagne and reminisce about all the great Temecula wines you
discovered.

How many bloggers can you fit into one limo bus? We actually had plenty of room for more.

Katherine Belarmino has been traveling for over ten years on a quest to see as much of the world as possible, experience new cultures, and sample other cuisines and libations. She also writes the travel blog Travel the World, which journals her world travels with her husband Romeo and seeks to encourage others to take the time to travel.

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Steve Grams is a father of two who has spent his married life traveling to the world's beer capitals. He aims to support local beverage makers and bring some extra attention to these communities' first craftsmen.

Katherine Belarmino has been traveling the world for over 10 years with her husband. She loves to experience as much as she can in every destination, including the local beers, wines, and cocktails. She also writes the travel blog Travel the World.